Cranberry Curd

Winter has arrived in Minnesota! Well, more slammed into us then arrived – I got back from Seattle late Sunday and woke up to snow on Monday. That’s what we get in exchange for such a beautiful fall. Oh well – winter has its perks too. And I missed most of last winter while I was in South Korea, so I’m excited for this one.

Like cranberries!

I love cranberries – their color, their taste, everything about them. Did you know that they actually get less sweet as they ripen? Or that a good cranberry bounces if you drop it? Cool stuff, right?

Now, the first thing that pops into my head when I think cranberry is, well, cranberry sauce. But it isn’t Thanksgiving yet, and I wanted something different. Then I stumbled across it – cranberry curd! Simple, Delicious, and beautiful – Maybe I’ll make a big batch for the holidays!

Curds are some of my favorite things to make – easy, fast, and delicious! This recipe is one I found on Kitchen Confidante. I’m classifying this as an “in progress recipe” for me, so expect an update later this winter.

Onward!

First prepare the cranberries. Combine them with water in a large saucepan over medium heat and allow to cook until the cranberries have popped.

While the cranberries are cooking, combine your eggs and sugar and whisk until light yellow. Set aside.

After the cranberries have popped, you’ll need to strain them. I used an old fashioned apple sauce strainer and a wooden pestle, but you could use a conventional strainer with small holes or cheese cloth if you’re really patient. Make sure to scrape the outside of the strainer to get as much of the puree off as possible.

Transfer the puree back into your saucepan and place over medium heat. Once it starts bubbling, use a spoon to transfer a small amount to the egg mixture and whisk quickly to combine. Keep whisking so the eggs don’t cook – this is called tempering. Repeat until the eggs are warm.

Combine the egg mixture with the cranberry puree and whisk quickly together. Keep whisking until the curd starts to thicken. It’s ready for the next step when it coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Once the curd has thickened, remove from heat and stir in the butter. Transfer to whatever container you want to store it in and enjoy!

Cranberry Curd
Ingredients:
3 c Fresh or Frozen Cranberries (about one bag)
¾ c Water
4 Egg yolks
2 Whole Eggs
1 c Sugar
2 Tbsp Turbinado Sugar
6 Tbsp Butter

Procedure:
1.Combine water and cranberries in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cover and let cook until cranberries pop.
2.While cranberries are cooking, combine egg yolks, eggs, and sugars. Whisk until pale yellow.
3.Once cranberries have popped, pour them into a strainer over a large bowl. Use a rubber scraper or a pestle to push as much of the cranberry puree through the strainer as possible. Discard leftover skins and seeds and transfer puree back to saucepan.
4.Bring cranberry puree back up to temperature.
5.Add a spoonful of hot cranberry puree to egg mixture and whisk vigorously to prevent the eggs from cooking. Repeat until eggs are tempered and add the mixture to the saucepan.
6.Cook over medium heat until the curd coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
7.Pour into jars and refrigerate, freeze, or can.
8.Enjoy!